How to Make Rhinestone Earrings

Have fun designing your own earrings! Learn how to make rhinestone earrings and you'll have matching jewelry for every occasion.

Active Time30

Total Time30

Yield: pair of earrings with rhinestones

Author: Debbie Chapman

Cost: $2

Print a template for your earring shape. We used flowers here (find the link in the materials list above!), but you can use any shape you'd like. Find more links below the tutorial!
Be sure to choose a template that's roughly 3 times the size you want your finished earrings to be.
Place Shrinky Dink plastic shrink film on top of the template and use a washable marker to trace around the shape.
Repeat, tracing the shape a second time for your second earring. Carefully cut out the shapes.
Use a one hole punch to make a hole in the top center of the shape. (We used a 1/8 inch single hole punch).
To ensure that the hole is centered you can mark where you'd like it to be with the marker and then align the hole punch with the mark.
For two tier earrings, make a hole at both the bottom and top center of the top piece.
Wipe the marker off your shapes with a damp paper towel, and then bake the shapes according to the instructions on the Shrinky Dinks package.
Our package recommended 1 to 3 minutes at 325 F, but we needed to leave them in for close to 5 minutes. The exact time needed will depend on how big your shapes are. The Shrinky Dinks will curl up as they shrink and then completely flatten out.

Once your Shrinky Dink earring bases have cooled, use a piece of sand paper to lightly sand the front of the earring. This will help the glue adhere.
Add a very small amount of glue to one area of your earring base. Make sure you apply it to the side you sanded.
Use a dotting tool or a toothpick to spread the glue into a thin layer.
You shouldn't add too much glue at one time because it dries quite quickly.
Use a wax rhinestone picker or other rhinestone tool to pick up a blue stone and place it into the glue.
Repeat and fill the first area with varying sizes of rhinestones. Use small rhinestones to fill in the gaps.
Then add a rhinestone of a contrasting colour (yellow) to be the center of the flower.
Continue applying glue and placing the rhinestones in one small area at a time.
Pay attention to where the hole is and add rhinestones around it. Be careful not to cover or obstruct it.
Continue until the whole base is full of rhinestones. Check for any gaps and fill them in.
Repeat with the second earring and allow the glue to dry.

Once the glue is completely dry, use pliers to open a jump ring and connect it through the hole on the earring. Don't close this jump ring yet.
Attach a second jump ring to the first. Then use pliers to close the first jump ring.
Open the second (top) jump ring and attach your earring hook to it.
Check that the hook is facing the right direction so the earrings will hang rhinestone side out.
Close off this jump ring and repeat, adding the jump rings and earring hook to the second earring.
Your rhinestone earrings are complete!

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